The Underworld eBook

“War!” retorted Davie, heatedly.
“They’ll aye hae a war or something else
to fricht you wi’, when you show that you mean
business. Wha the hell hae we to quarrel wi’
onyway, I’d like to ken?”

“Oh, it micht be France, or Germany, or Russia,
or some ither o’ thae cut-throat foreign nations.”

“An’ what are you gaun to quarrel aboot?”
yelled Davie still more heatedly.

“What the hell do I ken?” was the answer.

“Then, if you don’t ken, why the damn
should you quarrel? It’s a dam’d
silly thing to fecht at ony time, but it’s a
dam’d sicht sillier to fecht withoot haein’
a quarrel at a’,” cried Davie, now fairly
roused. “That’s jist hoo they diddle
us. They diddle the workers o’ France an’
ither countries in the same way. Maybe the French
Government is telling the French colliers that there
is a danger o’ a war wi’ Britain at this
minute, to keep them quate; an’ if they are,
do you an’ me ken anything aboot what the war
will be for? No’ a thing does yin o’
us ken. Wars are no’ made by workin’
folk at all! They are made wi’ the ither
crowd, an’ they laugh in their sleeves when
they hae sent us awa’ back to our work an’
oor hames as quate as mice,” and Davie looked
round in triumph, asking with his eyes, and in the
tones of his voice, for confirmation of his views
from the others.

Thus they talked and discussed, exchanging opinions
about all things in strong but expressive language,
as the train sped northwards bearing them home.
District meetings were organized, and the leaders put
persuasively the arguments for the acceptance of the
terms laid down. All through the crisis the men
had behaved admirably, for they had learned to trust
Smillie, even when they felt doubtful of his policy.
Robert took a big share in the organizing of these
meetings and in addressing them. He flung himself
into this work whole-heartedly. The terms certainly
did not please him; but, as the majority at the London
Conference had decided to recommend them to the men,
he thought it his duty to sink his personal opinions,
and in the interests of discipline and the unity of
the organization—­as he had already had his
say and had been found in the minority—­he
put all his efforts into trying to get the men to
accept the suggested terms, and go forward as one united
body. His persuasive powers of appeal, and his
straight, direct way of argument, commended him to
his comrades. By the time that the ballot had
been carried through in the various districts, it was
mid-February, and the Scottish delegates met in Edinburgh
to give the result of the voting among the rank and
file.

Robert attended the Conference, and while he had appealed
to the men to accept the terms of the London Conference,
he secretly hoped that the ballot vote of the men
would decide to fight; for, like Davie Donaldson,
he believed they had again been side-tracked.
He wondered how Smillie regarded the matter.
He had not had an opportunity of talking with Smillie
to learn his opinion, but he felt sure that his leaders
did not like the terms either.